It’s not easy to give up doing things that you have done for years — just because you are getting older.

How difficult it must be to give up driving — and have to rely on others to get you where you want to go.

How difficult it must be to give up smoking because of health reasons.

And so, I have recently given up something that has been a hobby of sorts to me. And, most importantly, it is, to my knowledge, the FIRST activity that I have given up: changing my own oil.

I enjoyed putting on my old jeans, and an old long sleeved shirt to protect my arms against the HOT underparts of my car. I enjoyed watching the dirty old oil drip out of the oil pan — into the aluminum catch pan below.

I enjoyed dipping my index finger into clean oil, and then smearing it along the circumference of the new oil filter. I enjoyed sticking a funnel into the crankcase and pouring in exactly three quarts of new oil and seeing how clean it was on the dipstick. I enjoyed using the anti-grease lotion to clean my hands. I enjoyed the sound of the motor humming cleanly.

No more.

My wife “convinced me” that I ought to take my car to a service station for oil changes. I think she worried about me getting under the car and, in general, overexerting myself. She cares about me, and I appreciate that.

Okay. So I gave up oil changes. I’ll survive. What’s going to be next? Give up swimming? Give up smoking chickens? Give up washing the dishes? Hmmm — that’s interesting.

The truth is that most likely I will not be able to predict what the next activity will be that I give up. It will likely happen when I least expect it.

Is it JUST that I will lose my hobbies? No. It’s that giving things up reminds me that I am getting older. That’s a fact I like to relegate to my birthdays. I like to think I can swim forever, drive forever, and smoke chickens forever.

Is there a way to compensate for giving up changing my own oil?

I could try to ENJOY paying the service station $29 for pouring in a few quarts of oil. I could try to enjoy my newfound freedom, and do whatever I want instead of changing my oil.

Wait a minute. While I am sitting there waiting for my oil to be changed, what if I find myself thinking of the joy of doing it myself?

I’ve got an idea: While my oil is being changed, I’ll walk to a nearby market and indulge in some delicacy.

What have you given up? And how did you deal with it? Email me at robertebsen@hotmail.com